Hi,

My name is Emily and I will be attending the Universidad de Navarra this year. I will be studiying "filologia hispanica." I'm not going with any study abroad organization, nor am I a citizen or resident of Spain. I did spend a year in Navarra as an exchange student in high school so I'm not completely clueless. I was wondering if anyone had attended this college and what their feelings and advice might be. Let me clarify that the Universidad de Navarra is the "privada," not the "publica" and is the one I will be attending. Of course I am very aware of the existence of Opus Dei. I will be living in an apartment in Iturrama and would love to hear the wisdom of those who have gone before me, even for just a short period. Agur eta eskerrik asko!

The only information I can give you is from a cousin (a Navarro) who attended there and continued through his doctorate in agronomy/agricultural engineering. According to him the courses were "rigorous" but well-taught. Professors were very approachable, and he seemed very pleased with his experience overall.

The campus is getting more crowded, and it looks like you're already aware of the Opus Dei. Have they "tapped" you for admission yet?

When you studied in Navarra in HS, were you in Pamplona or elsewhere?

Hi-

First of all let me thank you for your reply. When I was an exchange student I was in primero de bachiller at the Instituto Plaza de la Cruz in Pamplona. Consequently, I did make a friend there who seemed awfully religious to me... Being the American ingenue I was I didn't realize that she was really trying to get me into Opus. I must have been pretty dense because she showed be pamphlets, took me to mass and chapel with her, even took me to confession even though I am not catholic! In my own defense that was kind of early on in my stay and I wasn't too familiar with the opusinos, and she never came out and told me she was a member (they're not supposed to unless they think you're going to join). I couldn't figure out why she all of a sudden stopped hanging out with me but in retrospect I know it was because she realized that I was not going to be assimilated. Of course, I could go on with weird Opus tales, but I'm sure that you already have a pretty good idea . You've encouraged me because while I do have a couple of friends who study there (and who are happy with the university), most of the people I know are fairly "borroka" and when they find out what I'm doing they ask the following questions "no te habras metido al opus?" and "y para que quieres estudiar ahi si es mas caro que la hostia?" However, I think I've made a good decision based on what you and a few others have said. Thanks a lot,

Emily

wow! i'm fascinated by the 'opusino' thing... what is it?

good luck in your year there! i'm sure you will have a blast and you will make a ton of friends.

i never attended schools in Spain, but the universities seemed difficult to me. my friends were always studying, way more than i ever did at Indiana University. i guess that's not saying much, tho. i've never been a model student.

please do tell more about the opus dei phenomenon... is it basically a religious 'witnessing' type thing?

andrew
:wq

Hi-

Opus Dei is a kind of Catholic sect/cult/whatever you want to call it. It was founded by Jose Maria Escriva who was beatified. They believe that money is wonderful in a religious sense (it's hard to explain) and that it's fine to squeeze their members for all they're worth. They have terrible infamy for being sneaky (which they are, I'll explain later), moralizing, puritanistic, and fanatical. I had someone try to bring me in, they don't tell you that's what they're trying to do until they think they have their claws in deep. They are rumored to wear a type of chastity belt (it sounds odd, but from personal experience I can tell you this is probably true). They are frighteningly political, even though catholics are not supposed to be, and Ana Botella (wife of the president of spain) is a notorious sympathizer to the "Obra" as it is called by some members. Opus Dei means "work of god" in latin and they have enormous clout in Pamplona. They own the Universidad de Navarra where I am going. However, you do not have to in opus or even catholic to attend. Their most outstaiding quality is their love of money. In their defense, the Universidad de Navarra is an excellent school, and is generally considered to be the best all-around university in Spain. It's a complex subject and I don't know how much I have clarified.

You covered it...remember that to a member of "la Obra" that money is good as it furthers the "work of God", which to them is synonymous with the work of Opus Dei. Escrivá was aragonese by birth, but moved around a bit. Opus Dei was recognized by the Holy See in 1950. They have about 80,000 members today all over the world.

This could really be an entirely different thread, but perhaps just as well that we put out the information here. I knew a young man who was studying in Santiago de Compostela in the late 80's who was "tapped" for Opus. He turned them down and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which had them scratching their heads. I may have mentioned this prior, but Opus hand-picks what they view to be the brightest and most intelligent students with promise (congrats Emilyka...I guess that's what you were perceived to be), since these people will most likely be bringing in the dough later.

Opus consists of people in all professions, and they take care of their own. Of course, they pay ($) dearly for it, but will be supported by the order in case of need. This isn't some sort of Skull and Bones Yale thing, but it does seem to be about either wielding or influencing those who wield power. As emilyka pointed out, Opus has really taken hold in Navarra, which has traditionally been a Partido Popular hotbed. Oddly enough, folks back in the late 80's and early 90's would always tell me, in response to my questions about what they thought of the PP, "son todos del Opus."

Thanks for the info Calibasco-

I wasn't aware that Opus "hand-picked" their members as you say; I guess I should be flattered? I do remember that the girl who I talked about was always saying how smart she thought I was(however, as she was in Opus I think her good judgment is dubitable). On a side note, that girl left the colegio mayor at the privada where she had been living and took off to live in Bilbao with her boyfriend. She didn't tell Opus she was leaving, not even her friends, she said she was going to visit her family for a week. While we certainly could have a whole thread dedicated to this topic, it would all probably start to run together after a while. I actually don't know of any other guiris who have have the up-close-and-personal experiences with Opus that I have. Most of the ones I talked to had heard probably quite exaggerated stories from random spaniards they knew and knew to just stay away from them (probably good advice). However, if anyone has any experiences with Opus they would like to share, that could be pretty interesting. Later,

Emilyka

I am very familiar with the university. It is, as you probably already know, one of Spain´s finest universities.
Besides, being from Texas and all, Opus Dei should probably be more afraid of you than you of them! Jejeje. You´ll have a great time.